Nathan Smith, a 7-foot-1 English center from Barking Abbey School in London, has officially signed with Western Kentucky. (Photo courtesy Barking Abbey School)

Nathan Smith believes Western Kentucky is the basketball community for him.

The 7-foot-1, 235-pound English center signed with the Hilltoppers on Friday and told the Daily News on Monday that the way basketball is embraced in Bowling Green was a deciding factor.

Smith said he chose WKU over San Diego, Hawaii and Florida Gulf Coast.

“I loved how basketball is such a big part of Western Kentucky University and how involved the whole WKU community is to the basketball,” Smith said in an email. “On my visit I got a real sense of how important the basketball programme is to the community and the passion they have for it. The way basketball is embraced by everyone at WKU I feel is really special.”

Smith said he has a strong relationship with the WKU coaches. He said he and his mother have talked numerous times on the phone with coach Ray Harper and assistant Shawn Forrest.

“We had the chance to meet all the coaching staff during our visit and they were very welcoming and enthusiastic and they made us feel like part of the WKU family from the start,” Smith said.

Smith also said having rising junior center Ben Lawson on the WKU roster also made a difference.

Lawson, a 7-foot big man from Hitchin, England, provides Smith with a calming influence from someone he already knows, he said.

“Ben being on the roster did influence my decision but my decision was based more on how great a basketball programme WKU has and their success academically,” Smith said. “But Ben being on the roster is great as I’ll have a friend attending the university who has gone through the same adjustments I will have to make and can help me with the process.

“Also seeing how much Ben has improved and how well he is playing made WKU even more appealing to me.”

Smith said he plans to play for Great Britain’s U20 team in the European Championship if he is selected for the final team. Both he and Lawson made the preliminary list of 19 candidates.

But once he does arrive at WKU, Smith said he’s ready to hit the ground running. He said assistant David Boyden has talked about the possibility of playing Lawson at the four and Smith at the five together “to form an imposing front line.”

“I need to improve my strength and conditioning for me to be effective at the college level and it will take some time for me to adjust, but I feel that I’ll be able bring hard work and commitment and be a presence inside the paint both offensively and defensively,” Smith said.

— Zach Greenwell